Berst Family Burial Ground, Derry Township, PA, USA
"Oh, good," I said. "I always think I sound weird when I say that I love cemeteries."
Both parts of that statement are true. I really do have a strange sort of fondness for cemeteries and churchyards, and you can expect a number of posts about them as this blog picks up traction. And I do always think people will think I'm strange when I say as much. Not everyone, of course; my youngest sister is a mortician, she gets it.
I wasn't speaking to my sister on this occasion, however. I was speaking with my friend AmyBeth, one of my closest companions from my time at Kutztown University. She lives in Dauphin County, and we were making plans for me to visit her so she could take me around to collect some markers for my work over at MarkerQuest. She mentioned that while we were exploring, she was hoping we might stop and take a look at a particular small cemetery that had caught her interest; would I mind very much? "Not at all," I said. "I love cemeteries."
As it happens, so does she, resulting in my making the remark at the start of the post.
The plot of land which became the family cemetery was warranted by Peter Sr. in 1765. According to its records on Find A Grave, it contains 23 confirmed burials; quite possibly there are some others without surviving headstones, as is common with old cemeteries like this. Very likely it was part of the family farm, but it's the only part of the Berst property which remains, as the rest is now taken over with housing. The cemetery is literally situated in someone's yard, and the slightly awkward intersection makes visiting it a little tricky, which is part of why AmyBeth had never managed to stop and investigate it on her own.
The grounds are vaguely triangular, and encircled with a wall made of Hummelstown brownstone. Peter was, in fact, the first settler in the region to quarry brownstone, which was in plentiful supply in and around Derry Township. The Hummelstown brownstone industry is the subject of one of the historical markers I collected that day, and I'm looking forward to doing the research on the matter. Both Peter and his son Peter Jr. served in the American Revolution several years after they settled their farm; the exact details of Peter Sr.'s service don't appear to have been recorded, but Peter Jr. served in the Lancaster County Militia (Derry Township being part of Lancaster County in those days) under the leadership of Captain Robert McKee and Colonel Alexander Lowrey.
I'm somewhat unclear on the fates of Peter Sr.'s four children. Of Peter Jr. we know the most, thanks to his Revolutionary Wary record; he married a woman named Juliann, and they had at least one son named John. He died in 1803 and is buried in the family cemetery, although it does not appear that his wife or son are with him. Elizabeth seems to have died young and unmarried, as she's buried in the family cemetery under her maiden name, but neither her birth nor death dates have survived on her headstone. Of Regina, I can find nothing at all; she doesn't appear to be buried in the family plot, which makes me think she married and is buried elsewhere with her husband. A search for her maiden name brings up nothing useful.
Johannes, as far as I can determine, is also not buried in the family plot, which is particularly odd since he inherited the grounds. I'm unclear as to why, but without knowing what became of him, I can only speculate that maybe the land first went to older brother Peter and then passed to Johannes after Peter's death. Like his brother, Johannes had at least one son named John, to whom he bequeathed the burial ground with instructions to keep it "in good fence forever." John in turn left it to his own son David, who in 1875 sold it (and the rest of the family property) to Caroline Shoemaker. By 1881, the farm, the quarry, and the cemetery were all owned by Allen Walton, who had taken control of the Hummelstown brownstone industry and would make it exceptionally successful. Since 2001, the grounds have been in the ownership and care of the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society.
The epitaphs on the stones are almost entirely in German, and time has made them next to impossible to read. But a few names could still be identified; in addition to the immediate Berst family members, there are Longeneckers, Mackleys, and Donns. The wall is in excellent condition, and the gate had evidently been oiled and was likewise in good shape. It's clear that the historical society does its best to maintain the graves. Unfortunately, there's only so much that can be done with eroding stone. We didn't linger long, though it was long enough for the mosquitoes to find us.
These are the questions that keep me up at night. Or at least, they make a good excuse.
Speaking of being up at night, as I finish writing this post it's past midnight, which means that it's actually now AmyBeth's birthday. So happy birthday to my dear friend, and thanks for helping me make this post a reality! Maybe someone will eventually uncover the Berst family's story, but until then, their secrets are buried under brownstone grave markers.
Sources and Further Reading:
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. All rights reserved.
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